AI
Does this disappearing organ hold the secret of longevity?
Recent scientific studies, including a March 2026 study where Harvard Medical School researchers used AI to analyze thousands of CT scans, have renewed
Key takeaways
- Adults with a healthy-appearing thymus lived longer and had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
- People who had their thymus removed were three times more likely to die and twice as likely to develop cancer five years after removal.
- These findings are correlational and do not establish cause and effect.
- Tolerance Bio is developing an antibody to slow down the shrinking of the thymus for clinical trials next year.
Recent scientific studies, including a March 2026 study where Harvard Medical School researchers used AI to analyze thousands of CT scans, have renewed interest in the thymus gland. The AI analysis revealed that adults with a healthy-appearing thymus lived longer and had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Additionally, a 2023 study showed that individuals who had their thymus removed were three times more likely to die and twice as likely to develop cancer five years post-removal. While researchers caution that these findings are correlational, biotech company Tolerance Bio is currently developing an antibody to slow thymic shrinkage, with clinical trials planned for next year.
In their words
“The thymus begins to shrink surprisingly early in life, with the process starting during childhood and accelerating around puberty. It continues to decrease in size throughout adulthood.”
“As the thymus shrinks, its ability to produce new T cells, an essential part of the immune system, gradually declines.”
By the numbers
- 3x
- Increased likelihood of death after thymus removal
- 2x
- Increased likelihood of developing cancer after thymus removal
- 5 years
- Timeframe tracked after thymus removal in 2023 study
How it unfolded
- Researchers begin exploring if halting thymic decline strengthens immunity.
- Study links thymus removal to higher mortality and cancer risk.
- Harvard-led team publishes AI CT scan analysis in Nature.
- Tolerance Bio plans clinical trials for thymus-preserving antibody.
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Common questions
- What happened with Tolerance Bio?
- Adults with a healthy-appearing thymus lived longer and had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
- Where can I read the original report?
- Read the full report at al_jazeera.
